Loughborough University

Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for excellence in teaching and research, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.

The University has over 16,000 full- and part-time students, around 4,000 of whom are postgraduates and over 2,500 are international students.

Based on a safe, 437-acre, single-site campus – the largest in the UK – the University has plenty of open space, gardens and sports areas interspersed with academic buildings and student accommodation. The campus is located on the outskirts of the market town of Loughborough, with easy access from the M1 and East Midlands Airport. London St Pancras is only 90 minutes away.

Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in national newspaper league tables and was awarded the coveted Sunday Times University of the Year title in 2008-09. In the latest National Student Survey in 2009, Loughborough was voted one of the top five universities in the UK, and it has topped the Times Higher Education league for the UK’s Best Student Experience every year since the poll's inception in 2006. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, the University has been awarded six Queen's Anniversary Prizes.

Loughborough has a reputation for the relevance of its work, producing research that matters, driven by society’s need for solutions to real-world problems. In the most recent Research Assessment Exercise every department was found to be undertaking research that is internationally recognised, with 18% of the University’s research considered to be ‘world leading’.

Research and teaching activity are integrated at every opportunity to provide the very best learning experience for the University’s students. The quality of teaching is verified by exceptionally high scores awarded under the Government's independent assessment scheme, and Loughborough is consistently rated near the very top of the teaching quality tables. Loughborough is also home to two national Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning – in Engineering, and Mathematics and Statistics Support (a collaborative initiative with Coventry University)

Commercial potential is at the centre for much of Loughborough’s research and the University has a strong track record of fostering innovation and spin out company formation. Loughborough also excels in building strong relationships with both SMEs and multinationals. Sited on campus are the Henry Ford College for retail and management training of motor industry employees throughout Europe, the BAE Systems-partnered Systems Engineering Innovation Centre, and the headquarters of the national Energy Technologies Institute.

Such partnerships with industry allow the University’s students to benefit from profitable work placements, which are available on 65% of degrees and enable the students to gain real-life work experience.

Loughborough’s degree programmes are highly regarded by professional institutions and businesses, and its graduates are consistently targeted by the UK’s top recruiters. Many of the degrees are designed and sponsored by industry, meaning the University’s students develop the knowledge, skills and qualities required by business and industry.

Loughborough is also the UK’s premier university for sport, bringing together exceptional athletes and world leading education. The University has the country's largest concentration of world-class training facilities across a wide range of sports and the national and regional centres for many sports, including the ECB National Cricket Centre and the LTA Tennis Academy, are also located on campus.

Top level performance is crucially underpinned by Loughborough's internationally renowned expertise in sports education, research and technology. The University is home to some of the country’s leading coaches, sports scientists and support staff, as well as the state-of-the-art Sports Technology Institute, which develops cutting-edge technology and enhances research, innovation and enterprise in the sport and leisure sector.